Classic military units differ in their specialization and size from country to country. Here are some Military Units you probably didn’t know existed.
Lovat scouts (United Kingdom)
Frederick Burnham, was the Commander of the Scottish Highland Regiment. He formed the Lovat Scouts in 1900 to fight in the Second Boer War. They became known as one of the first heavily camouflaged units during the First World War. Their suit, know are a Ghillie suit, was designed to resemble the background environment, such as sand or snow.
Most of the regiment’s soldiers were gamekeepers from big Scottish estates and were known for their shooting skills so not surprisingly, in 1916 the military unit became the British Army’s first sniper unit.
61st Cavalry Regiment (India)
Formed in 1953, the 61st Cavalry Regiment is the largest cavalry regiment in the World that isn’t ceremonial and is fully operational. The Regiment is made up of 270 men and is the only regiment that reserves a third of its places for Kaim Khani Muslim soldiers.
The Regiment took part in combat in 2001, when it was involved in Operation Parakram, which was a stand-off along the Indian Pakistani border.
‘A’ Force (United Kingdom)
The ‘A’ Force unit was set up by Dudley Wrangel Clarke during WWII and he was the only solder initially. He gave himself the task of deceiving the enemy by setting up fake regiments and operations. The unit was eventually given real mean to work behind the enemy lines.
Filthy Thirteen (USA)
The Filthy 13, or formally called, The Demolition Section, was made up of 18 paratroopers. These men were sent behind enemy lines to destroy and secure bridges following the Normandy landings in 1944. Most of their missions were seemingly suicidal. Many of them wore facepaint and were unwashed, hence the name. one of the soldiers said, “didn’t do everything we were supposed to do in some ways and did a whole lot more than they wanted us to do in other ways. We were always in trouble.”
Fifteen of the eighteen men lived.
The ‘Underground Army’ (United Kingdom)
Churchill set up the Auxiliary Units, incase Germany’s Operation Sea Lion had been a success, to provide resistance and overthrow the enemy.
Although these men hid under the veil of the Home Guard, they were fully trained in guerrilla warfare, assassination and sabotage.
There were 3500 men in the regiment who were recruited to be self-sufficient, in their small teams, and entirely autonomous. They lived in especially dug-out underground shelters. Many of these men joined the SAS at the war’s end.
Mormon Battalion (USA)
The Mormon Battalion was the only religious regiment in the US. The battalion was made up of over 500 men, women, boys and girls. They never fought a single battle although marched 2000 miles across America, helping to play a part in the expansion of the US.
